The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs initially reported on June 12, 2015, technical problems with overseas passport and visa systems. The issue was not specific to any particular country, citizenship document, or visa category. Those problems reportedly were generallly resolved by the end of June.

Among other things, the problems caused delays at the U.S.-Mexico border with seasonal workers being unable to enter the United States. Daren Gee, a California strawberry grower, said the delay was costing him $25,000 to $30,000 per day in lost revenue because 200 seasonal workers he intended to employ were unable to enter the country. “The vans are there, the buses are waiting. But we can’t seem to get workers across,” he said.

Some businesspeople were also unable to obtain passports. David Lummas, who was waiting for his passport in Bangkok, Thailand, so he could continue working for a British multinational company, said, "They are holding my passport so I have been grounded this week from traveling."

The Department of State told the Wall Street Journal that 100 technicians were working on the problem, and that it was prioritizing visas for urgent humanitarian cases and agricultural workers.

A State Department announcement about its progress on these problems. The State Department announced that as of June 26, 2015, all visa-issuing embassies and consulates were back online. The State Department is scheduling visa interviews and issuing nonimmigrant and immigrant visas.